Fishes of the Chicago Region: A Field Guide

by Francis M. Veraldi, Stephen M. Pescitelli, Philip W. Willink

Overview

“A treasure of hardcore fish intelligence and delightful tidbits of fish history.”—Dale Bowman, Chicago Sun-Times

Fish don’t heed state boundaries, and neither does this comprehensive, photo-filled guide to the diverse species of Chicago and beyond.
 
Encompassing southern Lake Michigan, northeastern Illinois, and adjacent areas of Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, the Chicago Region is home to rare habitats supporting diverse fish populations. From small creeks to large rivers and from small ponds to one of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems, Lake Michigan, these systems are home to some 164 fish species representing 31 families. In this essential field guide, the most complete and up-to-date reference for fishes in the Chicago Region, we meet them all—lampreys, sturgeon, paddlefish, gars, drum, darters, perches, sticklebacks, sculpins, and more. Written by leading local ecologists and featuring a pictorial family key, color photographs, detailed species distribution maps, and natural history observations unique to the region, this go-to guide belongs on the shelf—and in the boat—of every angler, naturalist, fisheries manager, and biologist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226837352
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	06/03/2025
Pages:	520
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Francis M. Veraldi is a fish biologist and restoration ecologist for the US Army Corps of Engineers, where he leads multidisciplinary teams for the formulation, design, and implementation of aquatic ecosystem restoration projects.


Stephen M. Pescitelli is retired from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, where he spent thirty years as a Natural Resources Advanced Specialist and stream biologist. He was responsible for monitoring fish assemblages in the watershed areas of the Des Plaines, DuPage, Fox, Kankakee, and Mazon Rivers as well as the Aux Sable Creek. He was also involved in stream restoration, focusing on dam removals in northeastern Illinois. He also worked and studied at the Illinois Natural History Survey.


Philip W. Willink is an academic researcher for the Illinois Natural History Survey. He was previously a senior research biologist in the Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research at the John G. Shedd Aquarium and the assistant collections manager for the Fish Division at the Field Museum of Natural History.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Book Organization
Chapter 3: Pictorial Key to the Families

Species Accounts
Chapter 4: Lampreys (Petromyzontidae)
Chapter 5: Sturgeons (Acipenseridae)
Chapter 6: Paddlefishes (Polyodontidae)
Chapter 7: Gars (Lepisosteidae)
Chapter 8: Bowfins (Amiidae)
Chapter 9: Freshwater Eels (Anguillidae)
Chapter 10: Mooneyes (Hiodontidae)
Chapter 11: Shads and Herrings (Clupeidae)
Chapter 12: Suckers (Catostomidae)
Chapter 13: Barbs and Carps (Cyprinidae)
Chapter 14: Sharpbellies (Xenocyprididae)
Chapter 15: True Minnows (Leuciscidae)
Chapter 16: Loaches (Cobitidae)
Chapter 17: North American Catfishes (Ictaluridae)
Chapter 18: Pikes (Esocidae)
Chapter 19: Mudminnows (Umbridae)
Chapter 20: Salmon, Trouts, Chars, and Whitefishes (Salmonidae)
Chapter 21: Smelts (Osmeridae)
Chapter 22: Trout-perches (Percopsidae)
Chapter 23: Pirate Perches (Aphredoderidae)
Chapter 24: Hakes, Lings, Rocklings, and Burbots (Lotidae)
Chapter 25: Gobies (Gobiidae)
Chapter 26: New World Silversides (Atherinopsidae)
Chapter 27: Topminnows and Killifishes (Fundulidae)
Chapter 28: Livebearers (Poeciliidae)
Chapter 29: Sunfishes (Centrarchidae)
Chapter 30: Temperate Basses (Moronidae)
Chapter 31: Drums and Croakers (Sciaenidae)
Chapter 32: Darters and Perches (Percidae)
Chapter 33: Sticklebacks (Gasterosteidae)
Chapter 34: Sculpins (Cottidae)

Acknowledgments
Appendix: Fish Identification
Glossary
References
Photo Credits
Taxonomic Index
Subject Index
 

Editorial Reviews

A treasure of hardcore fish intelligence and delightful tidbits of fish history around the Chicago area. . . . It is a long labor of love. . . . The book is packed with information from scholarly research, but written to be accessible to any interested reader. Each species gets two pages, divided into description, natural history, distribution and status, and references, plus photos, mostly taken by Willink.

Chicago Sun-Times - Dale Bowman

"If you’ve ever wondered what fishes are in the Chicago region, where they can be found, and what they look like, you’re in luck. The new field guide Fishes of the Chicago Region gives a complete account of nearly two hundred species of fish in northern Illinois and parts of Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan."

WBEZ's Reset

The authors have compiled the most complete and up-to-date guide about fishes that occur in the Chicago Region, and Fishes of the Chicago Region will be a sought-after item among biologists, teaching institutions, anglers, and naturalists not only in Chicagoland but in other areas as well. The maps are concise, the fish photos are stunning, and the natural history information is compendious. This book will be an invaluable resource for those passionate about fishes.

Jeremy Tiemann

This region has a rich diversity of aquatic habitats that formed as the Pleistocene glaciers receded to the north and left behind rivers flowing through prairies and wetlands, small lakes, and the foremost feature of the region: massive Lake Michigan—the fifth-largest lake in the world. . . . This new book, Fishes of the Chicago Region . . . provides a large amount of new information for fishes in a rapidly changing area. . . . An excellent addition.

Larry M. Page